Sebastian Brosche

Sebastian Brosche is a Swedish born yoga enthusiast and a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Eduardo Rios, being also one of the top grappling competitors of his generation in the European jiu jitsu circuit. Brosche is well known for his website (Yoga for BJJ), a pioneering platform used by thousands of BJJ practitioners, which advocates yoga and its benefits for grapplers by displaying a series of programs specifically designed to help these practitioners.

Sebastian Brosché Biography

Sebastian Brosche was born on July 5, 1984 in Umeå, Sweden.

Brosche was introduced to judo at the age of 7, immediately falling in love with the sport. He continued training the Japanese combat style well into his adulthood, conquering a second degree black belt (nidan) in the process.

In 2007, at the age of 23 Sebastian decided to add submission wrestling to his training routine. In an interview given to BJJ Heroes on February 2017, Brosche explained why he transitioned to grappling: “I realized after trying BJJ a few times that this sport was what I had been looking for. Judo was the only option when I was young, but as BJJ started growing in Europe it was natural for me to do the switch. The rules in jiu jitsu are much more favourable to me than those of Judo, as you can get really far with technique and flexibility rather than strength and explosiveness.”

Peter Blackwell of Checkmat Sweden was Sebastian’s very first gi coach, and the instructor who graded Brosche with his blue belt. After his experience with Blackwell Sebastian moved to Oslo – Norway, where he continued his training under the watchful eye of Eduardo Rios – founder of the Frontline academy.

Many years of judo and jiu jitsu had left Sebastian’s body torn with serious back pain by 2011. After meeting Stine Hegre that year, his future wife and an expert in yoga, Brosche started practising that ancient Indian discipline. The increased yoga training allowed him to improve his grappling tremendously, both through increased dexterity and from the overall health benefits that it brought.

During this process of reinventing health and his habits, Sebastian turned towards a plant based diet, becoming one of the first vegan full time athletes in jiu jitsu. In the same aforementioned interview Brosche mentioned that unlike the “stereotype of vegans, I do not believe that mosquitoes should have the right to vote. Rather, I think it’s obvious that every living thing that can feel pain has a right to a good life.” – referring to the harsh environment in which factory farmed animals are kept, the fulcral point of his switch to a healthy vegan diet.

One year into his regular yoga sessions and Sebastian Brosche started sharing a few videos of his newfound knowledge in yoga, relating it to others who he believed could also improve their grappling through this method. Although filmed with very rudimentary hardware at that stage, the premise spread like wildfire, leading Sebastian and Stine to purposely create a yoga program specifically designed to incorporate the benefits of yoga in jiu jitsu. To broadcast their knowledge the couple started an online site adequately named: Yoga for BJJ. The first of its kind, bringing a valuable resource to grapplers across the globe.

Working on his jiu jitsu in parallel with his yoga, Sebastian Brosche continued his prolific grappling campaign on national and international circuits, being mentioned as one of the Top BJJ Brown Belts of 2015. After 4 years in the brown belt division, with multiple medals at the IBJJF World and European Championships, Brosche was promoted to black belt (December 2016).